Eliminating Gender Inequality Research Articles

Microfinance and Entrepreneurial Empowerment of Women: The Case of Women’s Microfinance Initiative in Uganda

Purpose: Women have always been underestimated and discriminated in social, economic and political spheres of life. Moreover, the traditional household chores create hindrances in their social and economic empowerment. Entrepreneurship development among women largely focuses on the empowerment of women through developing skills in Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and business ventures by taking risk of making investment decisions. Over the years, various efforts have been made by Government and Non-Government Organisations to promote women empowerment in Uganda and one such effort is through the micro-finance intervention. This Paper attempts to explore the impact of micro finance on the women’s entrepreneurial empowerment with specific reference to Women’s Micro-finance Initiative (WMI) in Buyobo in North Eastern Uganda. Materials and Methods: The study adopted an exploratory cross sectional research design. The target population comprised women’s microfinance Initiative Laon beneficiaries. A study Sample of 1,380 Respondents were purposively selected. The main Instrument for data collection was a structured Questionnaire and was complemented by Interviews and Focus Group Discussions. The study findings were presented in form of Tables, Graphs, Pie charts and where appropriate and where necessary, quotes or excerpts were used to strengthen the interpretation. Findings: The study findings reveal that the Micro-finance has a positive impact in terms of improvement in Business Operations; Diversification of Businesses; Business Skills Improvement; Improvement in Household livelihoods and living standards. The study findings will act as a basis for policy formulation as it will provide empirical evidence for policy makers to formulate relevant policies geared towards enabling environment for enhancing women Entrepreneurial Empowerment in Uganda. The study will further contribute to the struggle to eliminate gender inequality in Entrepreneurial empowerment. The study will further add value to existing scholarship which the future scholars may use to generate further research in the area of Microfinance and Entrepreneurial Empowerment of Women. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends strengthening and expansion of micro-finance support to resource poor and vulnerable women in other parts of the country through entrepreneurial education and training, provision of access to credit and financial services as well as markets. The study will contribute to critical debates and raise awareness on issues pertaining to Microfinance and Entrepreneurial Empowerment of Women at community level which will help to build initiatives for effective women Entrepreneurial empowerment in Uganda.

Gender differences in use of cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco products among adolescents aged 13-15 years in 20 African countries.

Examining gender differences in youth tobacco use is important as it aligns tobacco control within the context of broader human development goals seeking to eliminate gender inequalities. In this study, we examined gender differences in adolescent use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, shisha, and e-cigarettes in Africa. This was a cross-sectional study using data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Our analytical sample comprised 56442 adolescents aged 13-15 years from 20 African countries. Weighted, country-specific prevalence estimates were computed overall and by gender. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) were calculated in a multivariable Poisson regression model to examine whether correlates of tobacco use differed between boys and girls. Ever cigarette smoking prevalence was significantly higher among boys than girls in 16 of the 20 countries, but a significantly higher percentage of girls reported earlier age of cigarette smoking initiation than boys within pooled analysis. Some of the largest gender differences in current cigarette smoking were seen in Algeria (12.2% vs 0.8%, boys and girls, respectively), Mauritius (21.2% vs 6.6%), and Madagascar (15.0% vs 4.1%). Current use of e-cigarettes, shisha, and smokeless tobacco was generally comparable between boys and girls where data existed. Among girls, higher levels of reported exposure to tobacco advertisement were positively associated with shisha smoking whereas perceived tobacco harm was inversely associated with current cigarette and shisha smoking. Among boys, perceived social acceptability of smoking at parties was associated with an increased likelihood of cigarette smoking (APR=2.27; 95% Cl: 1.20-4.30). The prevalence of cigarette smoking among boys was higher than that of girls in many countries. However, girls who smoke tend to start at an earlier age than boys. Differential gender patterns of cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco product use among youth may have implications for future disease burden. As the tobacco control landscape evolves, tobacco prevention efforts should focus on all tobacco products, not just cigarettes.

Wybrane obszary funkcjonowania kobiet w pandemii COVID-19 w Polsce (na tle krajów Unii Europejskiej)

The aim of the research is to analyze research reports, articles and diaries showing how women function during the COVID-19 pandemic. The subject of my analyzes was quantitative and qualitative data showing differences in the functioning of women and men during the pandemic, along with their real and potential consequences from the perspective of gender equality. Although I was mainly interested in the situation of women in the text, the adopted perspective of gender equality required me to often (for comparative purposes) compile data regarding men. The article attempts to answer the question: What changes in particular areas of women’s social functioning have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? I decided to use nonreactive research using the method of analyzing existing data. My research shows that the Covid pandemic has caused unfavorable changes from the perspective of gender equality, not only in Poland, but also in other countries belonging to the European Union. Women suffered health consequences, felt exhausted by their duties and returned to stereotypical social roles. Despite the attempts to eliminate gender inequality in European Union countries (including Poland), the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reversed progress in these activities.

Russian trends in ensuring gender equality in the digital economy

The digital economy is becoming increasingly important these days, but it also reflects gender inequalities in technology and IT. Women in the digital economy often face barriers to career advancement, access to education, and project opportunities. Despite this, women play a key role in the development of the digital economy and can make a significant contribution to innovation and technology development. The development of strategies to eliminate gender inequalities in the digital economy is a necessary measure to achieve equality of opportunity and sustainable development of society. The article is devoted to the problems of overcoming gender inequality in the digital economy. The problem of the gender gap in the digital economy is inherent not only in developing economies, but also in countries that classify themselves as developed countries. The article shows the main objective reasons that give rise to gender inequality in the transition of the economy to a digital format; reviewed the experience of the BRICS member countries in creating conditions for overcoming gender inequality in the digital economy in accordance with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) proclaimed by the UN; describes the main trends of changes in the field of ensuring gender equality in the Russian Federation in the interaction of the state, business and society.

Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları Çerçevesinde Kadınların Güçlenmesi: “Kızlar Sahada” Örneği

In Türkiye, efforts to eliminate gender inequality, barriers to access to sport and cultural norms in sport are increasing by the day. The aim of this research is to the empowerment of girls and women through football within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 5) using the “Girls on the Field” platform as a case. According to the findings, the 'Girls on the Field' platform as been seen as an exemplary platform that "prioritizes sustainability in terms of its founding purposes" and adopts empowerment activities in sport through football. As a result, the “Girls on the Field” platform is seen as an exemplary organization in establishing similar platforms in Turkey and the world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Early and Forced Marriages, Child Brides

Objective: Early and forced marriages continue to be a problem in the world and in Turkey. Factors leading to early and forced marriages and solutions will be evaluated. Method: International articles, conventions, and Turkish family data on early and forced marriages will be examined and this human rights issue, which is stillup to date, will be revealed. Results: Child marriages under the age of 18 are considered early marriages. The rate of early marriage remains a problem for girls. When girls get married before the age of 18, they are included in the names of early bride, married, and child bride. Early marriages are generally the scope of forced marriages. The countries with the highest early marriage in the world are Niger 75%, Chad 72%, and Mali 71%. According to the Turkish Statical Institute Family Survey 2021 report, women were married at an earlier age than men. While the rate of men who got married before the age of 18 was 4.4%, the rate of women was 24.2%. While the rate of men who made their first marriage between the ages of 18-19 was 8.9%, the rate of women was 23.0%. While the rate of men who made their first marriage between the ages of 20-24 was 39.6%, the rate of women was 34.6%. The reasons for forced marriage at an early age are gender inequality, poverty, traditional or religious practices, non-implementation of laws and regulations, and conflicts, disasters and emergencies. Conclusion: early and forced marriages are a continuing social problem as a human right. Even the words of child brides are disturbing humanity. Supporting the education of girls, eliminating poverty and eliminating gender inequality will contribute to the solution in preventing early and forced marriages.

GENDER REPRESENTATION IN HIGHER SECONDARY ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA AND FBISE

Curriculum plays a foundational role in shaping opinions, beliefs, and worldviews given its grounding in sociocultural ideologies. Therefore, gender representation in school curricula has been the subject of research across the world since the 1970s. Although a handful of studies have been conducted in Pakistan, they have consistently reconfirmed deep-seated gender bias in textbooks despite governmental pledge to gender equality in education through administrative and financial investment over the past few decades. While previous studies have focused on primary- and secondarylevel textbooks from individual provinces, the current study reviews most recent higher-secondary English textbooks taught in schools and colleges affiliated with 8 KP boards as well as FBISE hence their impact on a large number of young men and women about to embark on professional journeys. Broadly informed by the theory of Anti-Oppressive Education (Kumashiro, 2000), this qualitative research has used directed content analysis to explore gender representation in the selected textbooks to conclude that despite governmental commitment to empower women through education, these Grade XI and XII textbooks launched in 2020 and 2021 respectively, fail to eliminate gender inequality from the curriculum. The article concludes by providing recommendations for systematic elimination of gender bias from the curriculum.

Correlation of Feminization in the Professional Sphere and Feminization in French Language

All changes occurring in society are reflected in the language. Thus, the feminization process in certain professional spheres of French society is characterized by the feminitives’ creation of job titles, titles and ranks in professions that were historically considered masculine. The purpose of this article is to identify the relationship between the process of eliminating gender inequality in the professional sphere and the process of feminizing the names of professions in French language. The article explains why the names of some professions are easily feminized, while the names of others remain resistant to this process. Feminitives from the spheres of politics, administration, diplomacy and military affairs, and presented forms of appeals to women holding positions in these areas are also analyzed. The authors come to the conclusion that the process of feminization in language is inevitable, since it directly depends on the growing role of women in society and in the professional environment. Along with the language, in turn, also influences the acceptance of a woman in a professional environment, since it has all the necessary means for forming feminine gender-specific job title.

Gender diversity and patent quality: Evidence from Chinese patent data

AbstractBased on the patent data from China National Intellectual Property Administration, we attempt to examine the effect of gender diversity in inventor teams on patent quality. We argue that gender diversity in inventor teams can promote patent quality, especially the invention patents that are high quality and radically innovative. Moreover, we find that the positive effect will be enhanced in places where women are well educated and improved by reducing gender discrimination. We propose that the effect will be more significant when market competition or market uncertainty is high as well as when the enterprises are private and growing. Ultimately, our study advocates that governments and enterprises should pay more attention to female labor forces, especially in the area of science and innovation, which is beneficial to improve innovation in China and eliminate gender inequality in the labor market.

Gender Representations in Social Studies Textbooks at Grade Three and Four

This study explored the gender roles of text characters and the messages given at grade three and four social studies textbooks of the community school of Nepal.The study further explored the gender representations of text characters in the textbooks through exploratory qualitative method; the verbal data noted from the textbooks were analysed through content analysis. The textbooks of grade three and four social studies were purposively selected because they have recently been reconstructed. The major findings are that the textbooks are the depiction of patriarchal traditionalgender bias mind-sets and the dominance of men over women. Men and women are portrayed in traditional gender bias occupations: strong, prestigious, intelligent and leading works are provided to male characters, and weak, subsidiary, subordinate, less prestigious and household chores are determined to women in the textbooks. The male-dominated family structures portrayed in the textbooks may not eliminate gender inequality, and reinforce male-dominated society in Nepal. Curriculum designers and textbook writers must reconsider the equal gender representations in the children’s textbooks to construct a positive effect on children’s gender perceptions while revising and/or producing new textbooks in future.

Indian females in the twenty-first century: how they have fared? An analysis using geospatial techniques.

Gender equality and women empowerment have been on the top of the agenda globally. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls has been mentioned by the United Nations in its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-5) as a target. Various efforts and initiatives have been taken at global, regional and local level to eliminate gender inequality. Women in India have been stereotyped and discriminated since ancient times due to the patriarchal mindset. Social evils such as sati, purdah system, female foeticide, female infanticide, dowry, domestic violence have been faced by women. Various constitutional and legal provisions have been framed to eliminate such evils. In contemporary times, women have become sensitised about their rights and have come a long way in terms of women empowerment. Various schemes have been launched by central and state governments for emancipation of women. However, the patriarchal mindset still exists and gender biasness is still experienced by women both in public and private space. The paper attempts to analyse the level of women empowerment in different states of India. The study is based on the secondary data collected from various government sources. An analysis of the reasons responsible for the trends has also been done. It has been found in the study that female literacy has a positive bearing on the health and decision-making of females. Also, government support in the from of infrastructure and schemes act as a catalyst in women empowerment. Women-centric organisations and Self Help organisations have promoted economic empowerment and decision-making of females.

Women’sparticipationinthepoliticallifeofKazakhstan:regulatoryaspects

This article discusses legislative measures in Kazakhstan that encourage women’spoliticalparticipationasacrucialbaseforasuccessfuldemocracy,highlightsadvancementsandidentifieschallenges.Throughthoroughanalysis,wehaveexaminedthelegalandregulatoryframeworkthatgovernswomen’s political participation within our country’s political landscape. This framework isdesigned to ensure equal rights and opportunities for both men and women, with the ultimategoal of eradicating gender-based discrimination. Comprehensive measures have been put inplace to eliminate gender inequality within the political sphere, and equal opportunities andtreatment are provided to girls and women. Our analysis takes into account both national andinternationallaws.As we crafted the article, we conducted a thorough analysis of content and monitored internetresources. In doing so, we carefully considered the perspectives of experts on the subject ofquotasforwomen,youth,andindividualswithdisabilities.Theseexpertsweredividedintotwo groups, with some viewing quotas as discriminatory and others seeing them as a means topromotepoliticalrightsforwomen.We have analyzed statistical data on the representation of women in various fields, such asscience,secondaryandvocationaleducation,thejudicialsystem,smallandmediumbusinesses,and decision-making bodies like the government, Majilis, Maslikhats, Akimats, Senate, andcorporations.

The impact of gender inequality on economic growth: an explanatory sequential mixed methods study of female labour participation in the civil service

Gender inequality is recognised as an impediment to economic growth and development. In Nigeria, several policies have been enacted to eliminate gender inequality. However, studies show that women are grossly marginalised, exploited, and discriminated against in their socioeconomic life. This paper examines the impact of gender inequality and female labour participation in the Nigerian civil service on the economic growth of Nigeria using mix-methods. First, an estimation of the impact of gender inequality on economic growth using panel data regression, followed by content- and consistency-based analysis that examines the factors responsible for gender inequality and discrimination issues women experience in the Nigerian civil service using content- and consistency-based analysis. The findings suggest that gender inequality negatively impacts economic growth and distorts the pool of human capital available to the Nigerian civil service and recommends the use of education and outsourcing of some employment functions to eliminate it effectively.

Gender Stereotyping and News Reporting: A Case Study of China post-2021 Amendment of Female Laws

This paper examines gender stereotypes in Chinese news reporting in 2022, mainly through a sample analysis of rape and intimate partner violence (IPV) coverage by different news companies. It tries to find out the relationship between the legal changes of women's rights and the awareness of gender equality, since in 2021, the government improved women's law. Government news releases are relatively even-handed in crimes, without discrimination and demeaning of perpetrators, but other news companies are more likely to include more words that contribute to gender stereotypes. China still has a long way to go to eliminate gender stereotypes and further eliminate gender inequality.

Troubled Comparative Trajectories and the Statistical Construction of Disempowered Arab and Muslim Women Subjects

AbstractSince 9/11, a number of scholars added gender as a new variable to explain how economic, political, and/or social developments in the Middle East have diverged from developments elsewhere. These studies relied almost exclusively on statistical analysis and frequently discounted much of the extant literature, especially the more feminist and historically sensitive and in-depth qualitative works on the subject matter. Almost uniformly, the point of departure for many of these works was the disempowered socioeconomic and/or political status of Arab/Muslim women. Most of the scholars of these works had no gender expertise and had never written on women previously. Regardless, these works spawned an important discussion in the field of comparative politics and their scholarly impact has been noteworthy. Such scholarship, however, is not benign.Accordingly, this article seeks to answer two critical questions: How does the work of non-gender specialists of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) come to have such a significant impact on the study of women and politics in the field of comparative politics? How can we approach these research inquiries differently so that expertise, lived realities, and history matter? The article argues that feminist international relations could serve as a critical corrective to this current trajectory of comparative politics research. This corrective also requires a commitment to feminist scholarship that begins with women's lives and seeks to eliminate gender inequality, as well as greater understanding of the composition and changing structure of our disciplinary communities.

Fertility Intentions, Parenting Attitudes, and Fear of Childbirth among College Students in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to investigate the current situation regarding fertility intentions, parenting attitudes, and fear of childbirth among college students in mainland China and the factors related to these variables. A cross-sectional study SETTING: Colleges across China PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred and eighty-three college students attending regular institutions of higher education MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fertility intentions and fear of childbirth were measured using the Swedish Fertility Awareness Questionnaire and the Childbirth Fear Prior to Pregnancy scale. Only 38.8% of participants expressed their willingness to have children, and there was a significant difference between male and female students (P < .02). Males regarded having children as more important (P < .01), and females were more concerned about the negative effects of becoming parents, including difficulties in the labor market, having less freedom, and having less money. When deciding whether to have children, factors such as work, economics, and childcare were more important to females. Students who did not want children had higher levels of fear of childbirth than those who wanted children or were unsure (P < .02). The fertility intentions of college students were not optimistic. In addition to the 2-child Chinese fertility policy, interventions aimed at reducing the cost of raising children, eliminating gender inequality in the workplace, and normalizing childcare institutions might help alleviate conflict between work and childrearing.

Women in gig economy work less in the evenings

Women have been systematically disadvantaged in the labour market. This could be explained by a complex association of factors, such as the lower speed of women’s professional growth within companies, their under-representation in management positions, and the unequal distribution of caregiving and housework between men and women. The rise of the gig economy—a market system that is based on hiring independent contractors and freelance workers as opposed to creating full-time contracts—has brought researchers and policymakers into a discussion on the effects of online platforms and flexible work arrangements on labour market gender parity. In this study, we examine the case of the largest online English-language school in Eastern Europe, Skyeng. Data on 6,461,404 lessons given by 13,571 teachers demonstrate that women had fewer working hours than men in most age categories, but especially for ages 30–35. The workload deficit for the women could be partly attributed to the fact that they worked less often than the men did in the evenings (7–10 p.m.). We conclude that, despite the flexible work arrangements the gig economy has offered, the women taught fewer classes than the men (i.e., having fewer paid working hours), which in turn led to a gender pay gap. The rapid growth of the gig economy makes it important to monitor gender-gap dynamics as well as discuss potential mechanisms eliminating gender inequality in the labour market.

A critical analysis of discourses on gender equality in education: the case of Turkey

ABSTRACT Despite national and international attempts to eliminate gender inequality in education, it remains a pressing issue in Turkey. Because gender equality is often shaped by and through discursive practices, the present study explores how educational policy and media discourses create gender inequalities in education. The critical discourse analysis examines 124 policy documents published by 12 governmental organizations and 252 newspaper clippings found in 14 different national newspapers published in Turkey over the last decade. Additionally, interviews were conducted with 13 teachers working at K-12 schools. Our analysis showed that while official statements support gender equality in education, contradictions underlying many educational policies continue to re/produce gender inequalities.

GENDER EQUALITY, EMPLOYMENT TRENDS AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH NEXUS: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES

This research has been integrated to check the affiliation between gender equality, employment trends, and sustainable economic growth of low income countries. Furthermore, this research validates a classical theory that argued that factoring or adding more variables in a gender specified model will reduce the only portion of residuals but does not rule out the gap. It also considers the impact of gender inequality and employment trends on sustainable economic growth separately and combines. Panel data estimation by using secondary data sources from recognized international organizations such as the United Nations Development Program, World Economic Outlook, and World Economic Situation Perspectives over time. Gender inequality, unemployment, and some other macro-economic, social, demographic, and financial factors are incorporated over 2011 to 2020. This research considers three different statistical models. For statistical estimation of long run affiliation granger causality and Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) is utilized by the researcher. Gender inequality negatively influences sustainable economic growth. Employment trends also contribute to influencing economic growth. Moreover, there is a statistically significant association amid gender inequality, employment trends, and sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, factoring more variables in gender specified models does not rule out gender inequality. There is long term association between gender equality, employment trends, and sustainable economic growth of low income countries. Therefore, when governments or policymakers construct policies about reducing or eliminating gender inequality, they must consider employment trends prevailing in that economy.

Financial inclusion and development in the least developed countries in Asia and Africa

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the financial inclusion index and development variables in the least developed countries in Asia and Africa by using annual data of 42 countries for the period 2000–2019. The pooled panel regression and panel data analysis technique are used to explore this relationship. The empirical finding indicates that economic growth leads to financial inclusion. Unemployment and literacy rates are among the factors contributing to financial inclusion, and it is observed that women are more vulnerable than men are to lack financial inclusion. In less developed countries, the economy relies heavily on agriculture, and people are less financially inclusive when they live in rural areas of these countries. Also, pay inequality reduces financial inclusion rates and has a negative impact on development. The low financial inclusion rate reduces the levels of development in these countries. The results of this study can lead to the development and empowerment of vulnerable groups in the studied countries. In order to improve the conditions for development, policymakers should consider policies that enhance literacy, eliminate gender inequality and increase pay equality.